1. Field of the Invention
A mechanically-operated emergency or parking brake for motor vehicles having disc brakes and a minimum number of actuating parts in an operating arrangement can be improved to carry out the braking effect.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The arrangements of the prior art are all rather complex and costly so that the complicated actuation structure thereof results in considerable weight and expenditure for materials.
Harvey U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,681 dated May 2, 1972 discloses a disc brake including a pair of shoes mounted on a pair of pins and including a lever which acts upon the shoes. Another Patent Desvignes et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,664 dated May 22, 1962 discloses a disc brake including a rotatable disc adapted to be pressed between two wear pads, one of which is carried by an axially slidable housing and the other of which is axially movable with respect to the housing relative to which a series of push pins can operate against brake shoes. Furthermore, Rist U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,158 dated May 4, 1976 discloses a disc brake with mechanical operation including an operating lever which cooperates with one of the brake shoes through a cam surface as well as a transfer member on which the operating lever is articulated in a complicated arrangement.
Finally, Flotow U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,764 dated Sept. 23, 1980 discloses another complicated mechanically operable disc brake including a movable brake plate and a disc pressed against a fixed brake plate by a sliding cam operated by a lever.
An object of the present invention is to provide several modifications of embodiments of an emergency or parking brake for motor vehicles having a disc brake arrangement, with each of the embodiments being operable by pulling a cable or the like to pivot a rod on which a cam is disposed which then directly or indirectly engages an outboard pad of a disc brake to carry out the braking effect.